As many of the previous comments have highlighted, it's amazing how often the WT draws attention to the negative example of the Pharisees in creating burdensome rules that went beyond "what was written" and "straining out the gnat but gulping down the camel" with petty rules but overlooking the "weightier matters" like justice and mercy - yet then proceeds to behave in exactly the same way, setting out all kinds of rules and conditions that are nowhere to be found in the scriptures.
Journeyman
JoinedPosts by Journeyman
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36
Treatment of Those Trying For Reinstatement
by Vanderhoven7 inwhat happens when a jehovah’s witness who has been disfellowshipped returns to attending the meetings again?.
mark jones writes:.
if it's the same congregation that they previously attended then, yes, the congregation will remember who they are and so continue to treat them as dead or invisible.. one of the identifying marks a cult is that it uses shame and humiliation to control members, to keep them from leaving and manipulating those who escaped into coming back.. a disfellowshipped person is never allowed to quietly leave with dignity.
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11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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Journeyman
he then threw caution to the wind, and told how many time per month he would go see prostitutes...Bravo!
Due to his complete lack of a sense or morality or self-awareness, he let that one out of the bag with such an attitude of confidence, as if it was a 'gotcha!' moment that he ONLY saw prostitutes with "two or three months in between" over "three or four years". He even claimed as he confessed to that, that calling it regular was "libellous". What a genius.
That casual confession must have lost him a lot of flying monkeys - and doubling down on it all later added to that.
Incidentally - how's that 'defamation' legal case going, Lloyd?
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93
Regional Convention Attendance
by XBEHERE inelder friend of mine texted me asking what my rc attendance was 2 weeks ago (family and i streamed it since wife is not well).
he told me that his rc in the jersey city assembly hall last weekend was low.
co told them that around 2600 were the total from 16+ congs that were assigned.
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Journeyman
Another weekend has rolled by, which means another set of conventions. Anyone have any updated experiences from their area?
I see Kim & Mikey have posted a YT update on the subject of convention attendances. I'm not going to link here or say any more as I know they post here so I don't want to steal their thunder if they want to post, but if you haven't seen it and are interested, head over there!
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12
Watchtower And Taxes
by Bangalore in*** w94 11/15 pp.
"in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
" so said 18th-century american statesman and inventor benjamin franklin.
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Journeyman
I'm posting under this old thread title because it seems apt - WT and their attitude to paying taxes.
I came across an interesting video from "Warwick PIMO". Not sure if they're on this website, but I think they post on Reddit.
This video might seem dry and boring (ok, it is really) but it's still important and holds some interesting hints about the recent financial status of the org, and their attitude to it. It seems to be dated 2021 but I'm not sure if it was made public before - I don't recall hearing about it. Apologies if it's already been covered here.
It's directed at brothers in branch committees. The video opens by saying "Today we are going to discuss your role in an urgent matter: engaging authorities to secure tax exemptions..."
Later at 3:45 the bro says: "The work we are asking you to do goes beyond obtaining available tax relief" - they want to "proactively engage" authorities to try and get additional tax exemptions that are not usually available.
An interesting comment follows from the legal dept indicating that tax exemption is directly linked in their view to legal recognition - or at least that's what they want brothers at branches to think.
It then goes into a lot of detail about how branch brothers can negotiate with "worldly" authorities to seek tax exemptions. Some parts are reasonable (like the bit around 21:35 about considering what you buy and what suppliers you buy from - which should be common sense, and not need a bro lecturing branch members about it) but a lot of it is very telling about WT motives around tax.
Watching this, I wondered what happened to Jesus' words at Romans 13:7: "Render to all their dues: to the one who calls for the tax, the tax...", which implies that Christians should be prepared to pay the taxes asked of them, not spend lots of time and effort "proactively" seeking ways to pay as little tax as possible. That must especially apply to an organisation which rakes in millions worldwide, so can certainly afford to pay. It also makes an interesting contrast to the tone of the two articles posted above, from years ago!
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11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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Journeyman
What a disgusting moron to write that to his wife.
Utterly. He's getting a kick from being cruel and controlling.
Done intentionally and with malice.
Exactly. That's why I said at the time, back when the messages between him and Dijana became public (around pages 912-914), that he was showing hatred towards her. He would obviously outwardly disagree with that word, but you don't display that level of contempt and emotionally cruelty to someone you really love.
It's sadly no surprise though. It seems that all his adult life (and possibly even before that), his relationships with others have been about manipulation and control, so it would be unlikely that his most intimate relationship - with his wife and the mother of his children - would be any different.
He will find it difficult to make any lasting new intimate relationship now, though. Not only is the cat out of the bag publicly online about his past conduct, but he's too old and set in his ways to change now, and where he might once have had 'youth' and a degree of 'status' (being a rising young man in the JWs), he's got nothing like that to draw any impressionable young woman into his web now. He can try by losing weight, getting fitter, bleaching his hair (ahem) and flexing his musical and comedic 'talents' (double ahem), but that won't get him very far!
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57
JWs unrecognisable compared to my grandfathers time
by ExBethelitenowPIMA inmy grandfather who has been dead for 37 years would not recognise the borganisation today.
he would turn in his grave if he knew the end didn’t come by 2023.. back in the 1970s he really believed in the 75 thing.
he was so disappointed and almost blamed everyone else why the end didn’t come.
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Journeyman
I think ExBethelite makes a good point.
From the outside, everyone (well, many Jews, Christians and the non-religious west) thinks that Muslims seem so unified and powerful, but I get the feeling the religion is really a hard, brittle shell around a 'soft centre'. Outwardly, Islam seems impenetrable and undefeatable, and is spreading aggressively into the west, but if you look closely at many majority Muslim nations, the foundation is very weak within. There are many sects of Islam at war with one another, and many of the religion's adherents make an outward show of devotion but in private are keen to drop the rituals and adopt more 'western' and materialistic lifestyles, for example the young people in Iran. Look a little closely, and the outward bombast and aggressive confidence of Islam (mixed as it often is with the political leadership) appears it could collapse inwards at any time. Unfortunately, when it does I fear the results may be very bloody - more even than we've seen already.
The same is true of other religious groups who have previously ruled by strong central control, including the JWs. Such groups are losing grip, and even many members who outwardly seem invested in these groups (PIMIs as we might say) are inwardly just waiting to break free or walk away as soon as they get a chance.
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11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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Journeyman
Toblerone Will you be my best friend? I love you, you're the best!!
YES! Tanks😁
Well what do you know? It seems Lloyd isn't only dividing people, he's bringing some people together... 😂
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11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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Journeyman
LMSA - excellent forensic examination of LE's behaviour. I reckon you have it bang on. Just one correction:
Which brings us to the identity of the "date". Cara, pronounced as "Sarah". And her friends too! So far we know that she likes to dress as a hotel maid and has a thing for the money of overweight foreigners.
Fixed it for you! I really doubt his newfound 'friend' was giving him her attention because of his charming personality and magnetic sex appeal.
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11530
It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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Journeyman
Okay, frighteningly he suits that man bun!
"suits" as in, now the whole ensemble looks similarly awful!
Yep, I can just imagine him topping off his horrible new look with something as disgusting as a man-bun. That pic looks all too plausible for the "new" midlife-crisis Lloyd, who thinks he's so cutting edge while being about 20 years out of date.
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24
KGB infiltrated the Borg
by ExBethelitenowPIMA inwe from the old year books that some kgb undercover agents became elders in high up positions.. i wonder if this is going on today?
not just in russia but other congregations around the world?.
when you think how long it takes to become an elder and all the talks and maybe judicial committees they were involved with.. anyway i’m just throwing it out there if someone wanted to pay me i am a current elder who is pima about intelligence or chance involved with the origin of the universe.. .
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Journeyman
[Edit: ok, St George answered the main part above]
But some in Romania refused to rejoin with the GB and are still separated today.
They're apparently called Asociația „Credința Adevărată Martorii lui Iehova” ("True Faith Jehovah's Witnesses" so Google Translate says - my Romanian skills are not up to scratch) and have their own YT page under that name.